Jang Chung Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea, was once home court to
his reign as Spirit MC Heavyweight Champion, but also the scene of
the K-1 Hero’s knockout loss to Yoshihiro
Akiyama that seemed to dampen his momentum. Jang Chung
Gymnasium is practically the house that Kang built, at least in the
first decade of this millennium. Most people who can read and write
in Hangul recognize this simple equation: As goes the career of
Denis Kang, so goes the attendance at live MMA events in South
Korea.

Kang scored early in the contest with measured boxing and a
successful takedown that enabled him to take Oyama’s back and begin
working for the rear-naked choke. Oyama endured and scrambled,
however, and Kang soon found himself reversed from a high position
and defending strikes from guard. In the ensuing exchange, Oyama
landed repeatedly, sometimes to the back of the head, as Kang
slowly lost his ability to defend over the course of the next
thirty seconds. With less than a minute left in the round, Kang
turned turtle, only to absorb continued pounding and the variety of
knees to a grounded opponent -- legal in Road FC -- that also
sealed his fate in a light heavyweight matchup against Sung Bae Whi
at Road FC 3. This time the end came for Kang at 4:30 of the first
round, via TKO.

“I’ve wanted to fight Denis Kang for
a long time,” Oyama stated after the fight, “not because I
disrespect him, but because he is famous and because I’ve learned a
lot from watching him fight. I’m here to win the tournament, get my
career back on track fighting in Korea, and serve as some small
inspiration for the Japanese people who have been through so much
lately. This is just the start.”

The second middleweight tournament match between M-1 veteran
Jong
Dae Kim and Daegu MMA representative Dool Hee
Lee was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair. This contest began
with a flurry of hooks as Lee immediately dropped Kim into the
position of a defensive double leg shot. But Kim recovered to his
feet and answered with a glancing right followed by a left hook
that connected right on the button. The flash knockout rendered Lee
unconscious just 18 seconds into the first round.

As it stands, the middleweight tournament semifinal draw consists
of Oyama and Kim advancing after their wins on Saturday, with Eun
Soo “Heavy Metal” Lee and Hae Suk Son
rounding out the card. Individual matchups have yet to be
announced.

At lightweight, a contest between former Spirit MC welterweight
champ Yui Chul
Nam and South African striking specialist Vuyisile
Colossa went the distance, despite expectations to the
contrary. In the first round, Nam deviated from his trademark
brawling style to neutralize Colossa’s obvious standup advantage
with a calculated mix of light-handed combinations and successful
double-leg takedowns. It was more of the same in the second, as Nam
countered the clinch work and knees from Colossa with a late
takedown that terminated in back control and a rear-naked choke
attempt at the bell. Not known as a grappler, it was a
well-implemented game plan of lay-and-pray wrestling that served
Nam through the third frame and earned him the decision win.

In another featured lightweight match, dirty boxing, three
takedowns and four solid overhand rights were enough for Team Posse
fighter Jae Sun Lee
to earn the unanimous 30-27 decision from Japanese journeyman
Akihiko
Mori, who spent much of the second and third rounds throwing
jabs, low kicks and non-committal 1-2 combinations like a man who
thought he was ahead on points.

At featherweight, rising Korean prospect Bae Young
Kwon met previously unbeaten Team Max fighter Brian “Polar
Bear“ Choi. This was a classic contrast of styles, as Kwon employed
his judo background and excellent takedown defense to nullify the
repeated single leg shots that seemed almost telegraphed by Choi’s
English-speaking corner men. Choi landed a solid left hook in a
late third-round rally, but it was not enough to sway the judges as
Kwon took home the unanimous decision win.